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Post by 10gaauto on Sept 23, 2015 12:35:00 GMT -5
Well, why a shotgun? Here in this area has a lot to do with the regs, = required for most hunting. Locally the only CF allowed is for predators, varmits and nuisance animals. Shotgun, rimfire or ML for game. Many wonder why, well it's kinds thick in the woods, any shot over about 45 or 50 yards is a special situation like a r/w, field or clearcut not grown up yet. And from experience I can say that the right shotgun with the right loading at the right range can safely take everything that walks in North America. Yes I like my #10 autos but my current favorites are my 870 and BPS in special Field configueration at 12 gauge and 2&3/4 or 3" capeable. They have the straight "English" style stock, 22" barrels and short (3 shell) magazine. They are light, handy, shoot good, and both have screw choke barrels, and did I say light and handy. I also shoot/hunt my #20 guns a lot now too. They are a Charles Daly pump with 26" barrel and a Franchi 48 with a 26" barrel, they are light and handy too.
I test my guns with lots different shells to find the best choke/shell/shot combo for whatever the chosen game of the day is. I use everything from standard factory chokes to Patternmaster (favorite for heavy hard shot and 000 buck), Rhino, Briley, Carlson and others.
Now I am looking for a ML shotgun so if anybody has a White or TC ML shotgun let me know.
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Post by Hank on Sept 23, 2015 14:54:35 GMT -5
Good information there 10ga... Growing up on Kentucky I never had a use for a shot gun as we were allowed to use centerfire for deer hunting and I used a 22 LR for squirrel hunting. The only reason I needed a shotgun was if I was rabbit hunting or bird hunting. The rabbit population was almost none at the time and birds were pretty scarce also.. But things have change, the rabbits have made a come back, lots of quail and doves now and the turkeys have almost taken over the woods. So a good shotgun might come in handy now. I have an old Remington 1100 that belonged to my grandpa, and I have a Mossburg 835 that I bought to turkey hunt with a few years back., oh and I almost forgot I have a real old Parker double barrel 12 ga that belonged to my dad's dad...
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Post by keith on Sept 23, 2015 16:37:39 GMT -5
I grew up with a dad that was a bird hunter and we also hunted deer on public land (scarce in Texas) until I was old enough to pay my own way onto private land so I mostly used shotguns (or bows) since that is the norm on Federal land there. For years all I owned was a Winchester M120 in 20ga. When I started working for the gunshop as a freshman in highschool I started shooting a lot of competitive clay targets and switched over to a 12ga gas gun. Later I had a fling with 20ga doubles. Now I'm back to just that original 20ga pump and a custom Savage 210F 12ga in a McMillan with a Leupold Vari-X III 2.5-8x36mm for those few hunts I apply for that require shotguns since I don't like buckshot for hunting. I mostly shoot "2 gun" matches but keep looking at the Remington Versa-Max Tactical Competition for 3-Gun but I need another gun and competitive discipline like I need another hole in the head.
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beans
Full Member
Posts: 248
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Post by beans on Sept 23, 2015 18:18:55 GMT -5
Yes, the 12 gauge shotgun is unbelievably versatile. My current gun is a Mossberg 9200 autoloader. I have a bird barrel with 4 different chokes and a slug barrel that is collecting major dust. When I used the slug barrel with the cantilever scope mount it was never "pinned" like some guys do. Just slapped it on and went testing. It shoots most slugs good enough to hit the vitals of deer from 75-100 yds.
However, I had bought a 50 round case of Barnes 2 3/4 std vel 1 ox expander slugs in 2007 that were unbelievably accurate. I bought that case because the few 5 round boxes I had tested shot very well. This load was so consistent that I kept shooting groups at 100 and 150 because they would just make me giggle over the course of one fall season. Just had to "reconfirm" the awesomeness of this round in this gun! Anyhow, 100 yds groups were never more than 1 1/2" for 3 shots and some clover leafs were had. One day we shot our guns at 150 for the heck of it. I put 3 shots in under 2 inches but 10" low (no big deal) and solidified my confidence.
Late in the season we had a big buck cornered in a 1/2 acre cat tail patch that he had run into after my buddy whiffed a 180 yd "slam dunk" Muzzleloader shot. We (they) flushed him out a few hours later and he ran right at me as I had posted up on the bank of a pond 200 yds from the cat tail patch. He had to run one side or the other if he were to go around that pond and at about 80 yds, he paused for a second. I was already on him about to whistle, but never needed to do so. My Leupold was set at 2X and I was on one knee and he was stopped quartering on. I planted one of these slugs into the point of his shoulders and he reared up and kicked himself backward and was dead when he hit the ground. My best shotgun buck ever at 143 gross. A big 9 point with a split G2.
Yeah, that round would smash a bears shoulder or ventilate a moose easily I think. A load of 9's would make a dove edible. Some buckshot like 00 buck would end a home intruders tribulations very quickly...even if on crack or meth.
Long live the scatter/slug gun!
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gar
Junior Member
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Post by gar on Oct 5, 2015 8:15:42 GMT -5
Regulations are why I have an H&R ultra and it is a tack driver to 150 yds. using the old Federal barnes tipped slugs. Since they stopped making these I need to find another, hopefully the Federal slug will shoot well but I've heard they don't shoot as well as the Barnes did.
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Post by kbrezlin on Oct 13, 2015 4:27:34 GMT -5
Grew up duck hunting with a scatter gun. Steel shot forced me to the 10 gauge when waterfowl hunting for the payload. Since about 15 years ago I solely deer hunt.
I the "People's Republic of NJ" your limited to shotgun only. I have a savage 220 20 gauge in a mcmillian HTG that I set up for deer. Shooting the Remington accutips or lightfields both in 2.75 inch it's accurate but I still only consider it a 150 yard gun. Past that the MZ is so much more effective and efficient. Cost per shot is way less, but no smokeless in NJ either.
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Post by kskaggs on Oct 17, 2015 11:55:26 GMT -5
I killed a doe at just under 200 yrds with my 220 f last year with the accutips the only problem was no blood trail specs of blood got lucky made a perfect shot and saw tracks deer only ran 75 to 100 yrds will not shoot that far again I agree 150 yrd gun plenty accurate but not enough punch at 200!!
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Post by cwhiteker on Oct 30, 2015 14:04:55 GMT -5
Hey 10 Ga, that 870 SF is a great hunting gun.I turned mine into a turkey gun before we had so many to pick from.Had it airbrushed a came pattern and added a turkey choke and recoil pad.Like the light weight when getting on a gobbler hammering before day light.Took one at 52 paces once.When I was a kid we had tons of rabbit and quail.Hunted with a savage 12 pump.
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Post by Squeeze on Dec 11, 2015 7:30:55 GMT -5
I got a White Tominator that has taken over all my shotgun needs. Uses hasting chokes so I can switch around for the game i'm after. I use several different wads and loads depending on what I hunt that day, and pretty much everything gives good results. I have a safe full of shotguns that really havent been used in years.
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